The prelude to a Test series is a time of great excitement and anticipation. Supporters and media on both sides see the strengths in their team and highlight the weaknesses in the opponent. Words alone will not win the series.
On paper India appears to have the advantage. Names such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma just jump off the page. If this series was being played in India, there would be a huge support for India.
That it is being played in Australia does level the playing field. The extra bounce, the sight of grass on the pitch and the long range weather forecast all suggest that these will be foreign conditions for the tourists. History is also against them.
If Zaheer and Ishant are fit I think the scales tilt a little more towards India. Their experience and talent will be needed for India to break its drought in Australia. Zaheer seams the new ball rather than swings it but his reverse swing has been used to devastating effect against the Australians before. Ishant's bounce and angle will worry both right and left-hand batsmen.
Indian spinners
How the Indian spinners fare will depend on whether they can come to grips, literally, with the Kookaburra ball. Its lower seam is very different from the Indian SG ball and, if the summer is damp as forecast, it could blunt the impact of the spinners.
I look forward to seeing how R. Ashwin copes for he has more than a passing resemblance to Venkatraghavan as a bowler; he can bat a bit and is a spirited fielder. Of the Indian finger spinners, only the great Prasanna has had much impact in Tests in Australia. Sydney may be one venue that suits the spinners.
Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman are proven performers who have seemingly defied the laws of ageing. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey will want to know their secret.
Most interest from India will be on whether Tendulkar can bring up his century of centuries in this series. I think he will, but, India must hope that it is sooner rather than later or it could prove to be a big distraction to its team goals. While I personally pine for the 1992 version of Sachin, who took attacks apart, this version is still a dominant force.
Surely the Bharat Ratna can't be far away!
Dravid, like good red wine, appears to be getting better with age. His standing in Australia has always been immense but his delivery of the Bradman Oration has taken his reputation to stratospheric levels. His courage and strength of character have never been questioned in this country.
Cricket administrators around the world would do well to read the transcript of his Bradman speech. He speaks for many past players in his views on the game and he will make an exceptional President of the ICC in the near future.
Laxman plays better in Australia than at home. The extra pace and bounce actually suits his wristy style. His powers of concentration and competitiveness are legendary and he is one of the best partnership builders in the game.
Sehwag could win this series on his own. He is such a destructive player that he can intimidate even the best of bowlers. How the Australian new ball bowlers bowl to him could be decisive. If he gets on a roll in this series, India will be hard to stop.
Gautam Gambhir is a good foil for Sehwag while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are potential stars of the future who, barring injury, will be vying for the No. 6 slot.
Surprise packet
The surprise packet for most Australians will undoubtedly be M.S. Dhoni.
He is a person of outstanding integrity and ability; he is an admirable human being and a calm leader who never shirks in adversity.
His coolness in the dressing room is as important as his strategic and tactical skills on the field.
The performance of both leaders will be watched with interest.
Clarke has shown a real instinct for captaincy but he will be tested more in this series than he has been so far.
His batting will be as critical as his leadership.
Australia has stayed with the experience of Ponting and Hussey because none of the next generation, apart from Ed Cowan, has knocked the door down to replace them.
Quality players
Both are determined and quality players who deserve to be given the chance to impact on this series. Australia will need them to, for it will be hard for them to win otherwise.
Injuries to Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh have created opportunities for Cowan and Daniel Christian but it will be the bowling attack of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc or Ben Hilfenhaus and the finger spin of Nathan Lyon that will need to perform if the vaunted Indian batting line-up is to be held in check.
This series will be closely fought. Either side could win, so I am excited by the prospects ahead and expect that there will be many twists and turns before the series is decided.
